Did you know?
- Rhinos may look like dinosaurs, but they are actually mammals.
- Rhinos have very poor eyesight. In fact, they have been known to charge at inaninimate objects, thinking that they are the enemy. But, to make up for this, their sense of smell and hearing are superb.
- Like their relatives, the horse and tapir, the rhinoceros belongs to the scientific order called Perissodactyla,which means in Greek, "odd footed." You may wonder what is so odd about their feet? They all have an odd number of toes, in fact. Rhinos have three toes and use only the middle toe to support their weight!
- Rhinos can live to be about 35 years old and sometimes even longer in captivity!
- A group of rhinos is called a crash.
- Only the White rhino is sociable, sometimes living in crashes up to 6 related animals.Males of all species live on their own, establishing territores.
- A female rhino can reproduce at about the age of five, but usually doesn't until she is around 8. From here, she gives birth to a calf approximately every two years. The rhino offspring stays with its mother until the new calf is born.
- Rhinos can reach speeds of about 30 miles per hour. Don't let their large size fool you!
- Rhino horns are made of keratin. So are your fingernails. Imagine that?
- Rhinos are vegetarians, preferring grass, trees and sometimes fruit. They can eat up to 50 pounds of food per day, so watch your lawns!
- Rhinos generally have a gentle dispostion, but because of their large size, zoo keepers and conservationists exercise extreme caution in their presence.
- Rhinos love to wallow in the mud. This keeps them cool and protects their skin from insects and the sun.
- It's not uncommon to see a bird or two perched atop a rhino. Both animals benefit from this symbiotic exchange. The bird feasts on the ticks, fleas and worms that may make their home on a rhino's hide and the rhino, in turn is relieved of these pesky creatures. In Africa, the oxpecker is the rhino's companion and in Asia it is the mynah bird.
- A rhino will often use trees and rocks as a scratching post. This keeps its hide healthy, sloughing off ticks, scabs and skin flakes. Yes, the rhino understands the benefit of a good exfoliation!
- The smallest rhino, the Sumatran rhino, can weigh as much as 1760 pounds and the largest, the White rhino, may weigh a whopping 6000 pounds! So, I don't think it would be wise to keep one as a pet!
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